{"id":3346,"date":"2023-08-18T13:18:06","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T17:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/?p=3346"},"modified":"2023-08-18T13:18:07","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T17:18:07","slug":"how-to-protect-your-hearing-while-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/how-to-protect-your-hearing-while-cycling\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Protect Your Hearing While Cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cycling, whether indoors on a stationary bike or outdoors on the road or in the mountains, can be a great way to exercise. Cycling is an ideal aerobic exercise if you have arthritis or other conditions which cause joint pain because it <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/articles\/7050-aerobic-exercise#:~:text=Lower%20impact%20aerobic%20exercise%20includes,Using%20an%20elliptical%20trainer.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">helps your heart without putting too much mechanical stress on your back, knees, hips or ankles<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While cycling can be a great exercise, it may also be a potential cause of hearing loss. Let\u2019s examine the link between hearing loss and cycling, as well as what you can do to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hearing Loss and Cycling<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Man-cycling-down-the-road.jpg\" alt=\"Man cycling down the road\" class=\"wp-image-3349\" width=\"420\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Man-cycling-down-the-road.jpg 1254w, https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Man-cycling-down-the-road-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Hearing loss from cycling usually comes from two places:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Wind<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Loud-noise exposure during a cycling class<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>An evaluation of the volume of wind while cycling outdoors found that \u201cWind noise ranged from <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28742424\/#:~:text=Results%20Wind%20noise%20ranged%20from,degrees%20away%20from%20the%20wind.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">84.9 dB at 10 mph and increased proportionally with speed to a maximum of 120.3 dB at 60 mph<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another study on the volume of 17 cycling classes in Boston, Massachusetts, found that the attendees spent an <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27731901\/#:~:text=Maximum%20sound%20recorded%20among%2017,at%20100%20dBA%20per%20day.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">average of 31.6 minutes exposed to sounds over 100 decibels<\/a>. Noise in cycling or spin classes may come from various sources, including machines, instructors and music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Centers for Disease Control lists the threshold for noise-related hearing loss as above <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nceh\/hearing_loss\/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html#:~:text=Sound%20is%20measured%20in%20decibels,immediate%20harm%20to%20your%20ears.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">70 dB over a prolonged period of time or above 120 dB immediately<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both indoor and outdoor cycling often result in noise exposure over the limit for potential hearing loss. Taking precautionary measures while you cycle is recommended to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hearing Loss Prevention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news is that you don\u2019t need to stop cycling to prevent hearing loss. A couple of ways in which you can protect your hearing while you continue to enjoy your favorite exercise include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wearing a sweatband or wind guard<\/strong>. When cycling outdoors, hearing protection needs to protect your ears while still allowing you to keep aware of your surroundings. Sweatbands and wind guards help shield your ears from exposure to the wind without blocking out all sound.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Use an at-home stationary bike<\/strong>. Spin classes can be fun and motivating, but they can also expose you to excessive hazardous noise. Opting for an at-home stationary bike with an online class can give you the feel of a spin class without hazardous noise exposure. If you prefer in-person classes, consider bringing earplugs to dampen the force with which the noise hits your ear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By taking preventative measures against hearing loss, you will be able to enjoy a ride through Cook\u2019s Trail with your friends without the adverse effects on your ear health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on protecting your ear health, contact <span class=\"company-name \">ENT of Athens<\/span> today to make an appointment with one of our hearing specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/5-surprising-facts-about-your-ears-and-hearing\/\" class=\"related-post\">5 Surprising Facts About Your Ears and Hearing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/what-to-know-about-hearing-aid-technology-in-2024\/\" class=\"related-post\">What To Know About Hearing Aid Technology in 2024<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/what-to-know-about-bone-conduction-tests\/\" class=\"related-post\">What To Know About Bone Conduction Tests<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cycling, whether indoors on a stationary bike or outdoors on the road or in the mountains, can be a great way to exercise. Cycling is an ideal aerobic exercise if you have arthritis or other conditions which cause joint pain because it helps your heart without putting too much mechanical stress on your back, knees,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3349,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":""},"categories":[11,14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3346"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3351,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346\/revisions\/3351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}